The sparkling class of Esmee Brugts stole the show

Sports journalist Henk Spaan reviews players, coaches and other people in the sports world every day in the Spaan gives points section. Comment? h.spaan@parool.nl

Henk Spaan

An 8 for Esmee Brugts

Scottish defender Howard kicked Lieke Martens out of the match shortly before halftime. From the start of the second half I was waiting for the revenge. Van de Donk seemed to me to be the right figure for the elbow or flying tackle. ‘That death kick was class,’ Ronald Koeman could text Jonker.

It was not Van de Donk who slid hard into Howard, but Caitlin Dijkstra. She played good football match against the Scots, with an occasional deft rush forward, but she also knew exactly who she needed for Martens’ injury. It could have been a little louder, was my only criticism.

Afterwards everyone said it had been bad. It wasn’t too bad, with three balls on the post, excellent ‘dribbling’ by Casparij and Dijkstra and the sparkling class of Brugts, who stole the show.


Esmee Brugts (22) during the Nations League match between Scotland and the Netherlands.Image ROBERT PERRY/ANP

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